Deligöz: We need to campaign against right-wing extremists in Germany

Ekin Deligöz of the Greens in Germany has declared in written statements that a comprehensive campaign must be waged against right-wing extremists and racists in the country, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.

Deligöz's comments followed revelations about a series of racially motivated murders allegedly committed by members of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) who are believed to have killed eight people of Turkish and one person of Greek descent between 2000 and 2006. “It is of the utmost importance that a research commission at the Federal Court dedicates itself to investigating this type of attack and that we shine a spotlight on this issue. For people to expect not to find extreme right-wing attitudes in Germany is sadly not a reality,” he said.

Deligöz continued to say it is important that civil rights groups inform people of the nature of such groups and the danger they pose. “As well as investigations by the research commission, it is important that awareness is raised across all generations that such mindsets and factions do exist in society,” he said.

Deligöz also voiced concerns about Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), a group which has been dubbed the most significant neo-Nazi party to emerge since 1945. “It is not right that groups with such racist ideologies as the NSU are under the protection of a legal party,” he said. Deligöz furthered commented that ideally the party should be closed down, but it is unlikely the European Court of Human Rights would back such a course of action. “This would give such right-wing extremists even more encouragement,” he added.